This invention relates to a device for placement between an object and a supporting surface to which the object is mounted, and more particularly to such a device which provides adjustment of the position of the object relative to the supporting surface.
In machinery installations, it is common to provide a power source which drives a driven machine. For example, a motor or engine is often mounted adjacent a piece of equipment, such as a pump, gear reducer or the like adapted to be driven thereby. The motor and the driven device are often mounted to the same supporting surface. In most cases, the height between the motor output shaft and motor mounting structure is different than the height between the input shaft of the driven device and its mounting structure. This difference in height is customarily accommodated by placing steel shims between the supporting surface and the motor and/or the driven device to align the motor output shaft and the input shaft of the driven device. This procedure entails several drawbacks. For one, it is often necessary to grind shims to provide a non-standard thickness in order to accurately align the motor output shaft and the driven device input shaft. In addition, events can occur over time which upset the alignment between the respective shafts. For example, a foundation may settle or the supporting surface may become distorted, resulting in misalignment of the shafts. When this occurs, adjustments must be made in the height of the shims beneath the motor and/or the driven device, to re-align their output and input shafts, respectively.